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Colombia’s New Tax Plan Sparks Protests

Colombia Tax Plan
On July 6, 2021, Colombia’s Independence Day, President Ivan Duque presented a new $4 billion tax plan. The plan aimed to help pay for social programs and pandemic-related expenses. Due to Colombia’s new tax plan, thousands marched through Colombia’s main cities in protest. Many are angry at their government since it did not solve any of the populations’ problems. Colombian citizens believe that the new Colombia tax plan is not doing enough to help their people.

Tax Reform

This new tax reform is much smaller than the previous $6.3 billion packages that the Colombian government presented in April 2021. The government withdrew the larger package due to mass demonstrations and lawmaker opposition. Even after many protests and marches, President Ivan Duque insisted that this plan is vital at a time of rising debt. The Colombian government must pass the plan to help social programs stay afloat.

As Duque opened Congress’s second legislative period of the year on Colombia’s Independence Day, Duque told legislators the “social investment law, which we will build between all of us, is the largest jump in human development in recent decades.”

The new reform places a higher tax burden on the company’s earnings. It discards the $6.3 billion package to impose a tax on basic items ranging from coffee to salt. The reason for protests for the new plan is that the plan seems to not be able to do enough for spending on education and job creation. In 2020, the economy contracted 7% and pushed an additional 3 million people into poverty, worsening conditions in Colombia.

The People of Colombia

Francisco Maltes is leading one of the groups of anti-government demonstrations while serving as the president of the Central Union of Workers. Malte’s union is part of a collection of unions that plans to present congress with 10 proposals on addressing Colombia’s social and economic crisis. Dissolving the nation’s riot police is part of their plans as well. This is creating a basic income program for workers that would make monthly payments of $260 to 10 million people. Maltes and his union tie directly into the recent string of protesting. Maltes has stated that protests will continue because President Duque has failed to solve Colombia’s list of problems.

During the Independence Day demonstrations, protestors also stated that they wanted justice for the death of many youths who police recently killed. Human Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy for human rights. It is currently collecting data linking police to the deaths of 25 confirmed young protesters during the recent wave of demonstrations. The number of deaths still remains a mystery due to many local organizations stating that the death count could be higher.

Withdrawal of New Tax Reform

After many months, the Colombian government unveiled Colombia’s new tax plan, much to the Colombian people’s dismay. The purpose of the Colombia tax plan is to address the social and economic crisis. However, the verdict across Colombia’s population is clear. The verdict on the impact of the reform punishes the middle-working-class and ruins any hope of economic recovery. This will push many people into poverty. Unless an agreement comes to fruition in Congress in the coming months, Colombia could risk its post-pandemic social and economic recovery.

Colombia has a rare opportunity to create a better and more ambitious tax reform through the current circumstances. The leadership of President Duque must bring Colombia together and come to a consensus, to make a version of this proposed reform bill a reality.

– Aahana Goswami
Photo: Flickr

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Organizations Reducing Violence in Colombia

Violence in ColombiaThe Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) formally ended their armed conflict with a peace agreement in 2016. This was after more than 50 years of conflict between the government and the guerilla group. Despite the agreement’s plans for peace and a hopeful future, there were still illegal militant groups and members of FARC who refused to obey the government. They continued to perpetrate violence in the country as they fight for political and economic control over different Colombian regions. As a result of continued conflict, violence in Colombia remains a public threat and results in mass displacement, deaths and disappearances.

Links Between Violence and Poverty

Violence in Colombia sustains the country’s extreme poverty. A study conducted in rural Colombia found that those who experience violence are more likely to remain in a cycle of poverty as a result of economic loss, trauma and fear. The country’s unparalleled amount of internally displaced people also contributes to poverty. 139,000 people were displaced within Colombia due to violence in 2019 alone. Most of the people displaced come from rural areas where 70% of the population lives in poverty. This makes them particularly susceptible to violence. Violence prevails in the nation and continues to keep people in poverty. However, nonprofits are committed to reducing violence by promoting a culture of peace. These 3 organizations are working to reduce violence in Colombia.

Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC)

GPPAC aims to motivate Colombian youth as changemakers by promoting dialogue between different generations. The organization addresses the lack of youth community and political engagement in Colombia. GPPAC recognizes that young people’s faith in their country’s social fabric is essential to promoting peace over violence. By inspiring a new generation of peacemakers that learn from the past and are excited about the future, GPPAC quells violence in Colombia.

The organization’s Intergenerational Project in Colombia in 2017 and 2018 resulted in dialogues in 15 regions most affected by violence. GPPAC organized conversations that took place in schools and included the participation of teachers, parents, students and members of several social organizations. The diversity of people participating built trust between different generations and social groups. This empowers young people to continue fostering a culture of peace in their communities.

Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps aims to address violence in Colombia through prevention and intervention. The organization strengthens networks between teachers and parents to keep children in school since parents often take their children out of school to work. However, children who do not attend school are more likely to experience violence. Mercy Corps tends to students’ individual needs and equipping schools with the tools to address students subjected to violence. By doing this, it puts an end to the cycle of violence that is correlated to a lack of education. The organization also tends to former child soldiers by teaching them how to generate income. It also empowers them with leadership skills. Since its founding, Mercy Corps has served more than 62,000 children in areas most affected by violence in Colombia.

Interpeace

Interpeace builds a culture of peace in Colombia through the Peacebuilding Model of National Police, a program that began in 2017. In partnership with nonprofit Alianza para la Paz, Interpeace works with the Colombian National Police to promote peacebuilding responses to violence and conflict.

One Interpeace program focuses on violence prevention and management in 5 regions that are particularly prone to violence. Police are encouraged to resolve conflict in socially violent situations rather than exacerbating the situation with an aggressive response. Another program aims to improve police response to gender-based violence in areas most affected by armed conflict in Colombia. Interpeace strives to improve the government’s preparation and response to these types of violence. Ultimately, these programs will improve the local trust of police and other government figures. At the same time, they will reduce violence in Colombia’s most vulnerable communities.

 

Overall, the 2016 peace agreement provided a foundation for a hopeful future. However, the Colombian government needs to address violence in the country’s most vulnerable rural areas more effectively. The Colombian government could reduce poverty in Colombia’s rural areas to bridge the urban-rural gap. By doing so, it could more successfully quell violence in the nation. This renewed government response is integral to strengthening Colombia by reducing violence. By following the lead of GPPAC, Mercy Corps and Interpeace, the government can successfully move Colombia forward. These 3 organizations are instrumental in fostering a culture of nonviolence in Colombia.

– Melina Stavropoulos
Photo: Flickr